Description
14k yellow gold brooch in the form of a blackamoor or moretto with carved ebony face and torso in and ornate gold to imitate brocade, with silver details, set with rows of square cut garnets and rose cut diamonds, a table cut diamond at the figure's throat. The figure with small seed pearl earrings and gold and silver turban set with rubies, emeralds and rose cut diamonds, surmounted with a small carved ruby and with a garnet at the back. On a double brooch pin with c clap closure. Marked indistinctly along the pin, tested 14k.
Similar to pieces by Attilio Codognato, Venice.
Lot 1377 is a fine brooch in 14k yellow gold, rubies, garnets and emeralds depicting the visual trope of a ‘blackamoor.’ This stereotype of ornamental blackness became popular in the 18th century. Such orientalizing, exoticizing and othering depictions of blackness in both decorative arts and jewelry served as a way for Europeans to contain the anxieties of their colonial world. These pieces have a racist history, and it should be neither minimized nor omitted.
In jewelry, the “blackamoor” figure renders an imagined African man in sumptuous dress, an opulence that signals the riches and resources of the foreign lands that Europeans eyed for extraction. Prominent in Venice, this type of jewelry reflected the Republic’s trade ties with North Africa and the Middle East. Gnardi and Codognato are some of the most famous Venetian ateliers who worked in the ‘blackamoor’ and ‘moretto’ style.
To look closely at this brooch is to confront this history directly. It connects us to a consequential past and invites deeper study through contemporary scholarship on race, colonialism and representation. Like the trade routes it evokes, the brooch stands at a crossroads, where beauty and craftsmanship meet a history that demands to be reckoned with and reevaluated. For further scholarly reading, see Adrienne L. Childs Ornamental Blackness: The Black Figure in European Decorative Arts.
Height: 2 1/2 in. Weight: 21.68 g.
Similar to pieces by Attilio Codognato, Venice.
Lot 1377 is a fine brooch in 14k yellow gold, rubies, garnets and emeralds depicting the visual trope of a ‘blackamoor.’ This stereotype of ornamental blackness became popular in the 18th century. Such orientalizing, exoticizing and othering depictions of blackness in both decorative arts and jewelry served as a way for Europeans to contain the anxieties of their colonial world. These pieces have a racist history, and it should be neither minimized nor omitted.
In jewelry, the “blackamoor” figure renders an imagined African man in sumptuous dress, an opulence that signals the riches and resources of the foreign lands that Europeans eyed for extraction. Prominent in Venice, this type of jewelry reflected the Republic’s trade ties with North Africa and the Middle East. Gnardi and Codognato are some of the most famous Venetian ateliers who worked in the ‘blackamoor’ and ‘moretto’ style.
To look closely at this brooch is to confront this history directly. It connects us to a consequential past and invites deeper study through contemporary scholarship on race, colonialism and representation. Like the trade routes it evokes, the brooch stands at a crossroads, where beauty and craftsmanship meet a history that demands to be reckoned with and reevaluated. For further scholarly reading, see Adrienne L. Childs Ornamental Blackness: The Black Figure in European Decorative Arts.
Height: 2 1/2 in. Weight: 21.68 g.
Condition
Earrings appear to have an adhesive repair, table cut diamond is cracked and chipped, some light wear and discoloration.
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14k Gold & Gem Set Moretto Blackamoor Brooch
Estimate $800-$1,200
Current Bid (1 bid)
$400
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This auction is curated by:
Sean BlanchetAsian Art Specialist
Robert SnellPaintings and Sculpture Specialist
Fine Jewelry & Luxury Goods
St. Paul, MN, United States
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